Review: GRAND MAGUS – “The Hunt”

Tracklist
1. Starlight Slaughter
2. Sword of the Ocean
3. Valhalla Rising
4. Storm King
5. Silver Moon
6. The Hunt
7. Son of the Last Breath Part I: Nattfödd Part II: Vedergällning
8. Iron Hand
9. Draksadd

Release Date: 25 May 2012 – Nuclear Blast

Two years after their last album „Hammer of the North“ and together with a new drummer Grand Magus now publish their fifth studio album.

Frontman Janne „JB“ Christofferson leads the listener with his impressive voice through the whole album and shows no weakness with it. All in all the single songs remember to classics of Judas Priest, Dio or Black Sabbath. The opener „Starlight Slaughter“ shows already clearly what you can await from the new works….catchy vocal and awesome hooklines. Those hit the ears directly and invite to loud sing-a-long.

The band plays decent heavy metal on the whole album like you can hear on „Storm King“, the title track or „Iron Hand“.

With „Valhalla Rising“ the three swedish guys offer also an absolutely epic song in tradition of Manowar. Out of this line is „Son of the Last Breath“ which is distinctly split in two parts. In the first half JB’s voice accompanies cello and acoustic guitar. After a well done break part the incipiently acoustic ballad moves to an album typical second part, which is rounded up in the end with the recurring acoustic guitar.

With this song material you can book this band on your cd players and upcoming concerts without sorrow to let the listeners celebrate it.

Points: 8/10

Review by Metal Aschaffenburg

Read the german review here: http://www.metal-aschaffenburg.de/?p=11475